Military cooperation with Russia eyed

PHILIPPINE officials are looking forward to having military technical cooperation with Russia which could help the Philippines achieve its military modernization goals.

Undersecretary for Finance and Materiel of the Department of National Defense Raymundo de Vera Elefante recently met with Vladimir Drojob, Deputy Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation of the Russian Federation.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the International Military-Technical Forum “Army-2016” which was held at the Kubinka Airfield in Moscow Region.

Elefante expressed appreciation for the invitation to attend “Army-2016,”noting that this is the first time the Philippine DND sent a delegation.

He underscored that the Philippines is open to dialogue with the FSMTC to see what Russia can offer in terms of military technology.

The Philippines is currently implementing a modernization program for its armed forces and Russian companies are welcome to participate in the process.

Drojob stated that at present there is practically no military-technical cooperation between Russia and the Philippines.

He expressed hope that the meeting will generate momentum to change the current situation, stressing that military-technical cooperation is an important factor in bilateral relations.

Chief of the First Department on Military and Technical Cooperation with Foreign States (Asia Pacific region) Sergey Bugakov said that Russia has very good experience in military-technical cooperation with many countries and that it is ready to help the Philippines achieve its modernization goals.

Also in the meeting were Rear Admiral Rafael G. Mariano, Vice Commander of the Philippine Navy, Major General Benjamin R. Madrigal, Commander of the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, and Third Secretary and Vice Consul Luningning G. Camoying, Political and Military Affairs Officer of the Philippine Embassy in Moscow.